Former Charlotte City Council member Tiawana Brown has agreed to plead guilty to wire fraud conspiracy, according to a document filed in federal court Thursday.
Brown, who was elected in 2023, was the first formerly incarcerated person on the council. That stemmed from a fraud conviction in the 1990s.
In May, she and her two adult daughters were indicted for fraudulently obtaining COVID-era relief funds, such as PPP loans. In the court filing, Brown will plead guilty to conspiracy for getting $43,000 in Small Business Administration and Payroll Protection Program loans and attempting to receive an additional $20,0000.
The filing said she spent much of the money on luxury goods and a $15,000 birthday party for herself.
She obtained the loans before being elected to City Council. Last year, she lost her reelection bid last year.
On social media, Brown said prosecutors have agreed for her to be placed on probation, which she considered a win.
On Facebook, Brown wrote that “God’s Favor is #unbreakable. It’s sad some of y’all thought I was going to prison.”
She then hosted a nearly 30-minute live video.
“I’m still here,” she said at the start. “I’m still shining bright like the diamond I am. Unbreakable. I don’t know what y’all thought.”
She continued: “If you thought for one minute that the God I serve would allow me to do anything other than be victorious, I pity the fool who thought so.”
